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I've been playing horror games since the first Silent Hill was released on the original PlayStation in 1999 (yes, I'm practically turning into dust), but if it weren't for the best gaming headsets, I wouldn't be half as obsessed with terrifying myself as I am now.
Hearing the sounds of every door creak, every hum of a generator, and every heightened "what was that" by a voice actor with crystal-clear clarity helps suck me into whatever gruesome circumstances I'm playing through, and Silent Hill f will be no different this weekend.
My copy of the game hasn't even arrived yet, but in anticipation of the creepy and nuanced sound design the series is known for, and legendary composer Akira Yamaoka's eerie score, I've set aside my top 3 PS5 headsets to ensure I get as scared as humanly possible on release day. If you're forever chasing that perfect horror headset experience like me, I've gathered all my picks down below. Just be prepared to sleep with the lights on.
1. Sony InZone H9 II
The moment I slid on the silky smooth lightweight cups of the Sony InZone H9 II onto my ears and pressed on its power button that's perfectly shaped to the curve of my thumb, I knew this was going to be my main Silent Hill f headset of choice.
Instead of a typical plastic rectangular band, the Sony headset has a unique headband and yoke design that appears like a piece of structured black rope. At either end, there are tactile oblong-shaped buttons, which let you adjust the level of the band when held in - very similar to a clasp on a jacket.
This design lets you easily slide the cups up and down to get that perfect level of adjustment, and that's exactly what I want for my future foggy Silent Hill f horrors. Even when I was right in the middle of a heated, competitive Marvel Rivals match, holding in these buttons was a breeze, and I was able to get the InZone H9 II just as I wanted it, without having to take it off, and I don't want anything to get in the way of my spooky adventures come September 25.
It helps too that this premium $359.99 / £299 headset sounds absolutely fantastic due to its 30mm audio drivers and is equipped with active noise-canceling. A quick click of a button on the left cup can zone out any unwanted noise - letting you focus more on the scary goings on. The moment I load up Silent Hill f for the first time, you can bet I'll be ensuring the living room lights are off, and the ANC button is on, for the most terrifying experience possible.
2. SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5
This mid-range headset isn't as premium as the InZone H9 II, but what I adore about the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless is the levels of audio customization at play. Having a headset like it amongst your Sony setup means you have access to the free Arctis app, which is loaded up with hundreds of official game audio presets, and the ability to tweak the EQ settings to your heart's content.
Unfortunately, there's no official Silent Hill f preset for now, but it could drop on the app after launch. In the meantime, I'm eager to see how the official Silent Hill 2 preset fairs instead, as both games have Akira Yamaoka's spooky game scores to try and place within the soundscape of their worlds.
Presets aside, there's a myriad of reasons why I keep the Arctis Nova 5 Wireless near my PS5 at all times, and will be testing it out with Silent Hill f. It's equipped with 40mm custom-designed neodymium magnetic drivers and has spatial audio support, with compatibility with the PS5's Tempest 3D Audio in particular. The Konami marketing highlights the game's use of "immersive 3D audio" so the Arctis Nova 5 will be one of the best cups at my disposal to hear that in action.
3. Turtle Beach Atlas 200 for PS5
If I'm going back to a PS5 game, sometimes grabbing a wired headset like the Turtle Beach Atlas 200 is more straightforward than hunting around for various wireless dongles. When I quickly want to dive back into the scary, eerie streets of Ebisugaoka, I'm going to pop the 3.5mm jack of this headset into my DualSense controller and leave the wireless headsets to charge.
Personally, I'm not hugely a fan of wired connections as I like the freedom to move about on my sofa, especially in case I need to literally jump out of my seat, which is likely with this game. Yet, through my experience testing the Atlas 200, its cable is not only long enough to make that not a huge issue, but its wired connectivity means I can spend more time gaming, and less time worrying about any battery life issues.
Better yet, while some wired headsets tend to cheap out on sound, the Atlas 200's sound rivals that of the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless and them some. The Turtle Beach headset's 50mm Nanoclear drivers were the perfect match to play alongside Still Wakes the Deep, the horror game I wanted to tick off my gaming backlog before the release of Silent Hill f this week.
If its full-bodied and balanced sound is good enough for Still Wakes the Deep, then I can't wait to hear what it does for one of my favorite horror game franchises.
Do you need a gaming headset to play Silent Hill f?
You don't have to have a gaming headset to play Silent Hill f, it's just a personal preference of mine.
As one of the resident headset nerds of the GamesRadar+ hardware team, I prefer to play horror games with a pair of high-quality cups, as it means I can focus better on the game and listen out for all the subtle scary moments in the soundscape.
The franchise is well known for its psychological horrors, and part of that for me has always come down to the music and sounds. In fact, to this day I still own the official soundtrack for the first game and have used it throughout my childhood as sound effects for Halloween parties and gatherings. The uncomfortable but exhilarating sounds of a Silent Hill game are unmatched in horror for me, and I want to experience that best to my ability with Silent Hill f.
Of course, having a headset also means you can make the most of spatial audio support, which lends itself particularly well. The official Steam page for Silent Hill f states that it supports immersive audio. Having a high-quality pair of cups with spatial audio support means you can make the most of that feature, upping that spooky factor tremendously - and what horror game fan doesn't want that?
If you're not playing through Silent Hill f on the PS5, our guides to the best PC headsets for gaming and the best Xbox Series X headsets are full of high-end and feature-full wireless headsets for your platform of choice.
